………………APRIL
______________________

• Gary Johnson at South Michigan Area Republican Club
April 2, Berkley
RSVP/learn more.

• Central East Florida RLC Meeting
April 4, Indian Harbour Beach
RSVP/learn more.

• Orlando Area RLC Meeting
April 7, Winter Park
RSVP/learn more.

• Northeast Florida RLC Meeting
April 5, Jacksonville
RSVP/learn more.

• Los Angeles Area RLC Meetup with Governor Gary Johnson
April 7, Los Angeles
RSVP/learn more.

• Central Texas RLC Meetup
April 8, Austin
RSVP/learn more.

• Colorado RLC Organizing Meeting
April 9, Boulder
RSVP/learn more.

• Gary Johnson in Orlando, Palm Beach, Boca Raton
April 13-16
RSVP/learn more here, here, and here.

• Silicon Valley RLC Meetup
April 18, San Jose
RSVP/learn more.

………………MAY
______________________

• Central East Florida RLC Meeting
May 2, Indian Harbour Beach
RSVP/learn more.

• Colorado RLC Organizing Meeting
May 7, Denver
RSVP/learn more.

• Michigan RLC Convention with U.S. Rep. Justin Amash
May 14, Wyoming (Grand Rapids area)
RSVP/learn more.

• Wisconsin RLC Outreach at State GOP Convention
May 21, Wisconsin Dells
Contact Michael to volunteer.

………………JUNE
______________________

• Maine RLC Leadership Conference
June 4, Augusta
RSVP/learn more.

• Virginia RLC Convention
June 4, Arlington
RSVP/learn more.

• North Carolina RLC Outreach at GOP Convention
June 3-5, Wilmington
Contact David to volunteer.

• North Carolina RLC Convention
June 4, Wilmington
RSVP/learn more.

• Utah RLC Convention
June 16, Draper
RSVP/learn more.

The event will occur at Old Dominion Brew House, 1219 9th Street NW (Mt Vernon Square/Convention Center metro) at 7pm. Event description:

“If you’re excited about the recent overturn of the DC gun ban but don’t know where to get started, come listen to RLC member Kris Hammond speak about how to buy a gun and get it registered in the District of Columbia.”

In July, 2008, the Republican Liberty Caucus of DC organizational meeting featured Dick Heller, a RLC member who helped us charter our affiliate.

Mr. Heller won the case Heller v. DC at the U.S. Supreme Court, which held that the Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to possess a firearm for private use within the home in federal enclaves such as DC. He is subsequently fighting for additional rights in Heller II.

The activities began on Wednesday evening when RLC’ers Dave Nalle, Aaron Biterman, George Primbs, Shelby McCurnin, and Julian Babbitt set up the CPAC outreach booth. On Thursday, the day began bright and early with Republican Liberty Caucus outreach efforts at CPAC. This marked the first RLC outreach efforts at the conference in almost a decade.

Dave Nalle brought impressive RLC literature, pins, and t-shirts to distribute to attendees. RLC’ers used the World’s Smallest Political Quiz to help attendees identify their political leanings. Throughout the two-day conference, members and supporters of the RLC wore “I am the RLC” stickers and RLC pins to express unity and shared commitment to individual liberty and limited government.

Some RLC members attended speeches by Ron Paul, Rand Paul, Governor Gary Johnson, and events hosted by those three leaders of the libertarian Republican movement. On Thursday evening, both Johnson and the Pauls had their own respective events. On Friday, both Ron Paul and Gary Johnson spoke before CPAC attendees and were well received. On Saturday, the straw poll results from the CPAC conference were announced, with Ron Paul placing first with thirty percent and Gary Johnson placing third (after Mitt Romney) with six percent.

Clearly the momentum at CPAC has shifted over the past two years. The RLC is pleased with the inclusiveness of the CPAC event and is very excited about how popular the liberty message is with CPAC attendees. Congratulations to Dr. Ron Paul for placing first in the CPAC straw poll for the second year in a row!

On Saturday, Republican Liberty Caucus members from across the country — over 125 liberty activists from more than 30 states — gathered to attend the RLC National Convention. The day opened up with a presentation on libertarianism from an expert on the topic, Cato Institute Executive VP David Boaz.

After Mr. Boaz answered questions, a panel about the Tea Party’s relationship to Ron Paul and libertarian ideas ensued. The panel, moderated by Corie Whalen and including former RLC National Board member Dr. Murray Sabrin, columnist Todd Seavey, Ron Paul campaign veteran Joe Seehusen, and Tea Party organizer Chip Tarbutton, was well very timely considering the possibility of both Ron Paul and Gary Johnson running for President in 2012.

Also in the morning session, Christopher Doss of the Leadership Institute gave a presentation about communication skills and a group of RLC members who are active in their local Republican Parties discussed how to form RLC state chapters and influence the party organizations.

One highlight of the day was the panel of current and former elected liberty Republicans. The panel featured three former State Representatives, Ken Lindell of Maine, Terri McCormick of Wisconsin, and Jamie Callender of Ohio, as well as New York City Councilman Dan Halloran (see photo below).

Congressman Justin Amash, the second youngest member of Congress and a fan favorite of RLC members, met with RLC delegates while discussing the current Congress during the lunch session. Representative Amash is cautiously optimistic. World famous Professor Randy Barnett, the most notable intellectual critic of the Obamacare health law, presented his ideas related to “The Libertarian Roots of the Republican Party,” which centered on Salmon P. Chase.

The afternoon sessions focused on civil liberties, privacy, the War on Drugs, foreign policy, how to run a winning campaign, and constitutional reforms. Panelists discussed voting methods like Instant Runoff Voting, ballot access laws, term limits, recall, and initiative & referendum.

Gary Johnson won the 2012 RLC Presidential Straw Poll with 45 percent of the vote to Ron Paul’s 38 percent of the vote. Newt Gingrich received five percent and other candidates totaled ten percent.

The recommended Bylaw, Statement of Principles, and Rule changes were adopted without modification — with one exception: Proposed Amendment to Article III, Section 6 was modified to the following wording: “Any membership may be suspended or revoked by a majority vote of the Board of Directors of the Caucus or the applicable Chartered State executive committee for just cause, which may include malfeasance in office, misappropriation of funds, misrepresenting the positions of the Caucus, or conduct which reflects poorly on the Caucus, or conduct which reflects poorly on the Caucus. Any member suspended or revoked by a State charter organization shall have the right to appeal to the National Board of Directors within 90 days, and the National Board of Directors shall render a decision within 90 days of notification.” Delegates added a statement defending Personal Liberties to the RLC Statement of Principles.

The following individuals were elected to positions on the RLC National Committee: Dave Nalle (TX), Chair; Aaron Biterman (VA), Vice Chair; Jason Hellenberg (FL), Secretary; Matthew Nye (FL), Treasurer; and Ed Lopez-Reyes (NH), Bill Westmiller (CA), and Corie Whalen (TX) were elected At-Large Board members. Regional directors will be selected by state RLC chapters within 30 days after the Convention. Alternate Board members elected included Aleq Boyle (GA), Shelby McCurnin (VA), Jeff Palmer (NC), Erik Setzer (FL), John Underwood (NC), and Eric Wall (FL).

Delegates adjourned until dinner. The dinner portion of the Convention was particularly exciting. The co-keynote speakers were Peter Schiff, who gave booming yet pessimistic predictions about the future, and Governor Gary Johnson, who outlined what he did in New Mexico. Both speeches were very well received and showed the different styles of the two speakers.

Veteran RLC member Cliff Thies presented “Bye, Bye Miss American Pie” as “Bye, Bye Miss Liberty Bye,” which prompted an audience sing-along. And Laura Crockett, a longtime RLC member from California, presented a very special pictorial history of the Republican Liberty Caucus.

Convention award winners included: Aaron Biterman (Virginia RLC), Chairman’s Award for Service; Laura Ebke (Nebraska RLC), Outstanding Activist; Michael S. Murphy (Wisconsin RLC), Activist of the Year; and the New Hampshire RLC, Most Successful State Chapter of 2010.

After dinner, Convention attendees were joined by Campaign for Liberty members and other assorted liberty activists at Baileys Pub in Ballston (Arlington) for a reception hosted by the Virginia RLC. The after-party featured Governor Gary Johnson playing RLC’ers in checkers (and apparently winning!) and was attended by commentator and columnist Jack Hunter.

Twenty years. Fifty states. One goal: Liberty. The Republican Liberty Caucus National Convention was the place to be on Saturday. Some additional Convention photos can be found here. Thank you to Republican Liberty Caucus delegates and officers as well as our generous sponsors — each of whom did their important part to make the Convention a tremendous success.

For the first time in recent memory, the Republican Liberty Caucus will host an outreach booth at the Conservative Political Action Conference from February 10-12, 2011 in Washington, DC.
The Republican Liberty Caucus National Convention will also occur on February 12, 2011 in nearby Arlington, Virginia — a short metrorail or cab ride from the CPAC location.

We decided to host our Convention on the final day of CPAC to piggyback on the fact that many potential Convention attendees and many likely Convention attendees may already be in town for CPAC.  Interested parties can choose to attend one event — or both.  Most major CPAC events, including the Campaign for Liberty and assorted liberty movement events, will occur on February 10-11, while our Convention will occur on February 12.

This is an excellent opportunity to inform or remind folks that no public policies will change without changing the Republican Party structure and makeup; hence, the RLC’s existence.  “Education” is important, but “action” is also necessary.

If you’re planning to attend CPAC, please make sure to stop by the Republican Liberty Caucus booth and say hello to us!  If you wish to register for CPAC, you can check out the following links:

• Gary Johnson CPAC Packages
• Young Americans for Liberty / C4L CPAC Packages
• CPAC Official Site – Agenda and List of Speakers

Please make sure to register and attend the 2011 RLC National Convention on Saturday, February 12, 2011 in Arlington, VA — the largest gathering of liberty Republicans in the country!

If you would like to volunteer to work the RLC booth at CPAC 2011, please get in touch with us.

Alabama: The Alabama RLC affiliate will hold a meeting in the coming weeks. Please contact Stephen Gordon for details.

Arizona: The Arizona RLC affiliate will hold a meeting in the coming weeks. Please contact Ken Rineer for details.

District of Columbia: DC Republican City Council candidates Jim DeMartino (Ward 6) and Tim Day (Ward (5) will present and answer questions at the RLC-DC meeting on Monday, August 30, along with Ward 1 School Board candidate Patrick Mara. The event will take place in the Community Room K at City Vista Condominiums (12th Floor), 475 K Street NW, equidistant from Gallery Place/Chinatown and Mount Vernon Square/Convention Center metros at 7pm. RSVP on Facebook.

Florida: The Florida RLC will have an outreach table, make a short presentation about the RLC and hold an informal RLC update and discussion get-together in conjunction with the Campaign for Liberty’s Summit at the Rosen Centre in Orlando. The informal RLC statewide meeting will be held at 12:30-1:30 pm on Saturday, August 12 at the RLC outreach booth at the Summit. Also, RLCers and friends who are not attending the Saturday night banquet are welcome to join us for dinner offsite, but nearby! Pick up the details at the RLC booth. See you there!

Indiana: The state RLC affiliate will hold its Convention at George’s Neighborhood Grill (6935 Lake Plaza Dr) in Indianapolis on Saturday, September 25. The keynote speaker will be Attorney General Greg Zoeller. RSVP on Facebook.

Maine: The Maine RLC will host its first annual Calvin Coolidge Clambake with John Fund of The Wall Street Journal on Thursday, August 26 in Portland. Learn more at http://www.rlc.org/2010/08/08/maine-rlc-hosts-clambake/.

New York: The RLC will host a kickoff meeting on Tuesday, August 17 at 7pm at the HOUNDSTOOTH PUB (520 8TH AVE – W37 St) in Manhattan. There will be a cash bar and free food. RSVP on Facebook.

Virginia: The Northern Virginia RLC will host a happy hour in Arlington in late August. Contact Mitchell Bemos for details. The Central Virginia RLC will host a meeting on Thursday, August 19 from 6:30pm to 8:00pm at Isis, Inc. (2727 Enterprise Pkwy, Suite 100) in Richmond, VA. This is the first meeting of the RLCCV following elections of chapter officers. RLCCV will discuss our goals with the RLC and welcome new members and all who are interested in becoming members of the RLCCV. Please RSVP by Thursday, 8/19 at 1pm. RSVP on Facebook.

Utah: An immigration debate hosted by the Utah RLC chapter will occur and will feature key policy leaders in the state. Exact date/location TBA. Contact Julian Babbitt for details.

Below are Bradley Jansen, Governor Johnson, and Pranav Badhwhar.

District of Columbia RLC Convention: February 8

Join the Republican Liberty Caucus of DC for our biennial Convention on Monday evening, February 8.

Gary Johnson, former two-term New Mexico Governor, will be joining us.

The event will be held at the Old Dominion Brewhouse (9th and M St, near the Convention Center) from 7:00 to 8:30pm.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Tennessee RLC Convention: March 15

The Republican Liberty Caucus of Tennessee is holding its annual Convention on March 20, 2010 in the Chattanooga area. In order for the our group to grow and be effective, we need people willing to commit to the time and energy required to make an impact. The future of the RLCTN depends upon you. RSVP to attend the RLCTN Convention on Facebook.

Nebraska RLC Convention: May 15

On Saturday, May 15, 2010 (time TBA) in Omaha (site TBA), the Republican Liberty Caucus of Nebraska will host special guest Governor Gary Johnson. Gary E. Johnson recently founded, and serves as the honorary chair of the Our America Initiative. He is a longtime member of the National RLC’s Board of Advisers. As Governor of New Mexico from 1994-2002, Johnson vetoed 750 pieces of legislation–more than all of the 49 other governors combined during the same time frame. Stay tuned to the Nebraska RLC 2010 Convention page for details and registration.

DC members decided to develop a Liberty Index to rate DC officials, gear up for 2010 elections, and look into lobbying members of Congress.

Some photos from the event follow.

..

..

..

..

..

..

..

..

In response, Graham said, “I love this party; I’m not going to let it be hijacked by Ron Paul.”

The Republican Party isn’t where it is today because of party members like Ron Paul; rather, because of spineless partisans like Lindsey Graham. Lindsey Graham says “if you don’t like it, you can leave”.

This kind of “with us or against us” rhetoric is what turns people away and breaks coalition

Lindsey Graham needs to understand that I too love this party. Despite people like Lindsey Graham, I’m not going to leave the party and I’m not going to let the party be hijacked by Lindsey Graham. If you don’t like it, Lindsey, you can leave.

Kevin E. Deuwel, a RLC member, is a student at George Washington University and a native of Sacramento, California. He blogs at Free Libertas.

RLC members in northern Virginia had a meeting on August 20.  It featured two former RLC-endorsed Congressional candidates (Amit Singh and Vern McKinley) and a 2009 RLC-endorsed candidate for Delegate, Eric Brescia.  The Virginia RLC was re-chartered at the Republican Party of Virginia Convention in May.

Kentucky RLC Coordinator Michael Moreland (right) chats with the son of RLC Advisory Board member Ron Paul, Dr. Rand Paul at the Jim and Mary Bunning Family Picnic hosted by the Campbell County GOP. Dr. Rand Paul is running for the open Kentucky U.S. Senate seat.

RLC members from the DC and Virginia affiliates gathered in a studio in DC on August 9 to film an introduction to the Republican Liberty Caucus that will soon appear at RLC.org. From left is Aaron Biterman, Mitchell Bemos, Matthew Gagnon, and Nena Bartlett.

On Saturday, August 15, the Republican Liberty Caucus of Nebraska held its first-ever summer meeting.

Nebraska RLC Vice Chair, Jon Tucker, of Omaha, discussed the many faces of the liberty movement and helped RLC members discover where we fit in. The answers were not entirely clear, although it was clear by the end of the discussion that Nebraska RLC’ers are committed to continuing their efforts to promote their foundational principles of liberty within the Republican Party.  Mr. Tucker is also in the process of forming a regional Republican Liberty Caucus representing the Omaha area.

Former Nebraska Republican Party Chairman Mark Quandahl (left) and Nebraska’s Republican National Committeeman, Pete Ricketts (right), fielded questions from the audience during a panel discussion.  Both men welcomed the involvement of Nebraska RLC members.

Quandahl expressed appreciation for the enthusiasm of the RLC’ers at Nebraska’s 2008 GOP Convention and Ricketts encouraged members to stay involved.

Nebraska RLC Secretary, Amy Haberman of Papillion, provided delegates with an overview of the Nebraska Republican Party and its structure. Amy’s presentation emphasized the importance of getting involved locally.

According to Nebraska RLC Vice Chair Jon Tucker, “All we need to do now is increase our numbers to increase our impact of the party.  I can’t wait to do this again next year, but I will not wait until then to find other opportunities for us to get together to grow and educate each other and those around us about the principles of the Nebraska Republican Liberty Caucus.”

By all accounts, the meeting was a success.  Members learned the GOP state structure, how to create a PAC, how to encourage others to join our efforts, who others in the liberty movement are, history of the liberty movement, and an introduction of how technology can impact the political process.

A very special thank you to Laura Ebke, Nebraska RLC Chair, who organized the meeting.